Heisman Trophy leaders after Week 3 of college football

The Heisman Trophy race is wide open at this point in the season, now a quarter of the way through the 2023 slate. There are several top contenders, with a handful of quarterbacks putting up ridiculous numbers each week.

Then there’s the novelty of a two-way star like Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who was injured in this week’s contest against Colorado State.

In any case, let’s turn it over to the On3 national experts to get their takes on the Heisman Trophy race at this point. We get each of our national experts to provide their current Heisman Trophy vote below.

Matt Zenitz

1. Caleb Williams, USC
2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Williams: He’s continuing to show why he’s one of the top NFL prospects at quarterback in the last decade or so. Although USC hasn’t been tested yet with its first three games being against San Jose State, Nevada and Stanford, Williams has posted at least four total touchdowns in each game and has yet to throw an interception.

Penix: Penix has thrown for more than 400 yards in each of Washington’s first three games, including 473 yards along with four touchdown passes during the Huskies’ 41-7 win over Michigan State on Saturday. He leads the nation with an average of 444 passing yards per game, is tied for second with 12 TD passes and has only one interception.

Sanders: Even aside from the overall numbers — 1,251 passing yards and 11 total TDs through three games — what’s maybe been most impressive about Sanders is how he’s been at his best in big, high-pressure moments. During the final three full drives in the fourth quarter and overtime against Colorado State on Saturday, Sanders was 10-of-12 for 161 yards with three touchdown passes.

Jesse Simonton

1. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
2. Caleb Williams, USC
3. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Michael Penix Jr. is off to a blistering start, torching two G5 teams and Michigan State for nearly 450 yards per game. He leads the nation in passing and is second in touchdowns on a top 10 team that has won all three games by an average of 33 points.

Caleb Williams will be the the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and he’s only raised his stock as a prospect with his play to start this season. He’s averaging 12.5 yards per attempt with 13 total touchdowns and zero turnovers. Unlike most Heisman Trophy winners, he has a legit chance to repeat with heads-up showdowns with Penix, Sanders and Bo Nix.

Shedeur Sanders has been the spear of Deion Sanders’ stick at Colorado, as Coach Prime’s son has not only proven he’s a P5 quarterback — but one of the best QBs overall in the country. While the stats are eye-popping, Sanders has emerged as a proven leader and galvanizing presence on a Buffs team that upset TCU, rallied to beat Colorado State and has already matched its preseason win-total.

Andy Staples

1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
3. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

If I’m trying to ID the most potentially outstanding player for my team and using only what I’ve seen so far this season, I’m still picking Caleb Williams first. He would instantly make any offense elite, and his ability to make magic remains unmatched by any other current college player.

Penix, meanwhile, is the perfect triggerman for an offense that loves to go vertical. He has excellent receivers, but he makes them better by throwing the nation’s prettiest deep ball.

Going into the fourth quarter Saturday, I didn’t know if Sanders would make this list. But the way he put the Buffaloes on his back — particularly during the 98-yard drive to force overtime — made him impossible to omit from the Heisman Trophy ballot.

Charles Power

1. Caleb Williams, USC
2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
3. Sam Hartman, Notre Dame

We haven’t seen Caleb Williams and USC get into the meat of their schedule yet, as the Trojans have beaten up on two Mountain West programs and a down Stanford squad. With that said, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is playing at the highest level of any quarterback in the nation. If possible, Williams has elevated his play. He leads the nation in passing efficiency by 20 points and continues to be lethal as a run threat and improvisor. The legitimacy of his repeat attempt will be determined later in the season, but I’ve seen nothing that would point to Williams not holding the top spot at this time.

Shedeur Sanders has willed Colorado to a surprising 3-0 start, showing phenomenal resiliency and a cool demeanor in high leverage situations. The Jackson State transfer is completing over 78% of his passes and is second nationally in passing yards. He’s also done a nice job of taking care of the football, throwing just one interception. We’ve seen some late game heroics from Sanders in wins against TCU and Colorado State. Unlike many other top quarterbacks, he does not have the luxury of a sustainable run game or strong defense but is finding ways to lead the Buffaloes to wins with his individual efforts.

Notre Dame’s offense looks entirely different than at this time last season – and that’s in large part due to the addition of Sam Hartman. The Fighting Irish offensive unit is off to a fast start and currently ranks 5th nationally in yards per play. The game is moving extremely slow for the fifth-year senior who will end his career as one of the most prolific passers in college football history. Hartman is third nationally in passing efficiency, throwing for 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions while the Irish has made easy work of opponents thus far, including a win on the road at NC State. Next week’s game against Ohio State looms large, but the Wake Forest transfer has lived up to the hype thus far. ”

J.D. PicKell

1. Caleb Williams, USC
2. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
3. Jordan Travis, Florida State

No. 1, Caleb Williams. Some good faith baked in there, 12 touchdowns, no interceptions. Just the way that he does it, he’s special. There’s some projection in there as well that he’s going to continue on this trend, but statistically against pretty much nobody he’s lit it up. No. 1 for me.

At No. 2, Michael Penix Jr. Twelve touchdowns, one pick, 1,300 yards. Played some stiffer competition than Caleb Williams, but I’m still waiting to see him do it on a bigger stage. I think we know more about Caleb Williams at this point in time. Even so, dialed it up yesterday. Over 400 yards in every single game, so extremely impressive. Love what he’s brought to the table, No. 2 for me.

No. 3 I’ve got Jordan Travis and I think I’m probably in the minority in our group here having him as high as we do. But he’s just been the catalyst for the offense for them. Even though he was dinged up yesterday I still thought he played well. The win over LSU is really why I have him as high as we do. They were dominant. He was a big reason why. I think that he probably deserves more consideration than someone like a Shedeur Sanders right now, because as good as Shedeur Sanders has looked, they haven’t really played anybody. I think Jordan Travis deserves the buzz.

There you have it, the On3 national experts’ picks for the Heisman Trophy just three weeks into the season. Stay tuned, because our experts will be providing their Heisman Trophy ballots throughout the season to let you know how the race is shifting in their minds. And with Week 4 featuring some marquee games from some of the contenders above, there should be plenty to talk about next week.